Watching your Six
by Ttime42
Summary: Tim & Ziva pay the price for abandoning their partner. Tag to "Dead Air." Spoilers for "Dead Air." Warning-contains non-sexual, consensual spanking of adults. If you don't like the idea of consensual adult spanking, please don't read.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Abbs, you wanted to see me?" Gibbs walked into the lab later that evening. Abby didn't usually hang around once a case was wrapped up, as she generally had some concert to attend or bowling game to get to. Her coffin-shaped purse was on the computer desk, along with her coat.

Crime scene techs were still clearing up the last of the broken barbecue pieces to bring in for evidence logging purposes. Team Gibbs was in the bullpen writing up their reports of the case.

"Gibbs!" She ran to him and threw her arms around his body in a crushing hug. "I was gonna come up to the bullpen to see you guys—you didn't have to come down here!"

"Why?" Gibbs asked, concerned. "What's going on? You sounded frantic on the phone."

"You almost died today in that explosion!" She gasped. "It was on the news and I was so worried. If you guys…I mean, if any of you had…" She squeezed him.

Gibbs relaxed in her embrace, glad that this particular problem was already solved.

"Of course we're fine, Abbs." He planted a kiss in her hair.

"How's Tony's voice?" Abby asked, looking up at Gibbs, concern in her hazel eyes. "Did Ducky say he was going to be okay? He's coming home with me tonight. I'm gonna make him some of my awesome sore-throat-be-gone hot tea."

"He'll be okay, Abbs." Gibbs assured her. "He just had a reaction to the grass."

Abby nodded. It felt good to hug Gibbs, to know he was safe—even if he did smell like burning charcoal and baseball diamond dust. They mutually separated. "He'll be quoting movies at us in no time." Gibbs said.

"Good. He did a really good job talking to the neighbors, Gibbs." She said with a smile, remembering some of the funnier things Tony had said on the tapes. "He really knows how to get answers out of people."

"That's what he's best at. McGee and Ziva were probably less than enthused." Gibbs said, imagining Ziva and Tim rolling their eyes at the senior agent as he chatted up housewives.

Abby thought about it, then shrugged. "Maybe. They weren't on the tapes though, so they _could _have been laughing too."

"Ziva and Tim didn't talk to the residents?" Gibbs said, surprised.

"No, it was just Tony." Abby said, watching Gibbs' face get more pissed off the longer she spoke. "Were Ziva and Tim supposed to talk to them too?"

The muscle along Gibbs' jaw flexed and instead of answering her, he strode out of the lab.

Abby bit her lip as she watched him leave. "Oh boy. He is _not _happy with them."

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><p>Gibbs strode into the elevator and stood there, thinking as it rose back up to the bullpen. He had thought they would all speak to the residents—that's why he sent all three of them. Gibbs thought they'd split the homes, then two people would talk to half each while the third listened to the live feeds in the car to make sure none of the residents got tipped off. If the work was halved, maybe then Tony wouldn't have gotten sick. Well…as long as the case got done though, right? Tony's throat wasn't too bad. Ducky had said it would likely clear up in a day or so.<p>

He walked into the bullpen to see Tony standing at his desk, the light off and computer powered down. He was popping another throat lozenge. Tim and Ziva were still typing up their reports at their computers.

"Boss," Tony rasped, "I put my report in your inbox."

Gibbs nodded.

"Emailed you a copy too." he said, coughing.

"Good. 'Night DiNozzo, let Abby take care of that throat."

Tony grinned. "Oh, she will." He winked and Gibbs rolled his eyes as Tony strode off to the elevator. He hesitated for a moment before going after his senior agent and slipping into the elevator with him. Tony blinked at him.

"I forget something?" Tony wheezed.

"No." Gibbs flipped the emergency switch, halting the car. "Who spoke to the residents today?"

"I did."

"Did McGee and Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"No." Tony looked suspicious.

"They both stayed in the car and listened to your feed." Gibbs concluded.

Tony's gaze faltered.

"Tony?"

"Not the whole time." Tony said quietly.

"Explain."

"I got back to the car after talking to the Stepford Wives, and McGee and Ziva said they had…turned off the feed."

"Why?" Gibbs growled.

Tony didn't answer.

"Tony."

"I don't know."

"They didn't tell you why they weren't watching your six?" A wave of anger washed over Gibbs and he took a breath, mentally counting to three.

"They said they were sick of hearing my voice." Tony said. He looked down, his face pinking with shame. "They got tired of listening, so they turned it off."

Gibbs blinked, surprised at this. For a split second, he almost didn't believe what Tony was saying. Why the hell would Tim and Ziva not listen to the feed? What if something had gone wrong and Tony needed back up? What if one of the neighbors suspected and took a shot? The realization that Tony could very well be dead right now if he needed back up and no one was there to provide it hit him full force, and Gibbs sucked in a deep breath.

Tony watched his boss anxiously, chewing his lip. "Boss, it's fine. We got the guy, and—"

"Would you have turned off the feed if it was one of them talking to the residents?" Gibbs asked.

"No." Tony mumbled.

Gibbs flipped the emergency switch and the lights flickered to life again as the car started moving.

"Boss," Tony pleaded, "it's really fine. They're gonna think I went and tattled to you—."

Gibbs slammed his hand across the switch and the elevator's gears creaked loudly.

"If this thing plummets, it's your fault." Tony said with a small grin that quickly faded when Gibbs turned to him, getting in his space.

"You did not _tattle_ on your teammates." Gibbs growled. "I asked you a question and you answered."

Tony nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything, DiNozzo? Did you really not think your six was worth watching?"

"I had my phone." Tony said defensively, straightening even under that Gibbs Glare. "If something went pear-shaped, I could have called them or you directly." Tony leaned to the side and coughed and Gibbs stepped back.

"But what if you couldn't?" Gibbs retorted. "What if you couldn't call because you were shot or kidnapped?"

Tony let out a sigh. "I didn't think to tell you. Everything was fine, the case ended, and that was it."

Gibbs stared at him for a moment. "If your partner ever does something that endangers your life again, you _tell me_." He growled.

"Okay." Tony nodded. Gibbs kept staring at him. "I got it!" Tony said. "I hear where you're coming from, boss."

"Good."

Gibbs slapped the switch again and the car reluctantly got moving. He needed to have a little talk with his other two agents.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks to all who reviewed! :)_  
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><p>Gibbs got back up to the bullpen after Tony got to Abby's lab and was pleased to see the rest of his team still working on their reports.<p>

"McGee! David!" He barked, not breaking stride, "conference room." He disappeared around the corner.

Ziva looked at McGee, eyes wide. Tim furrowed his brows at her.

"Did we do something?" She asked him.

McGee stood up, frowning. "I don't know."

"Something about the case?" She wondered. They fell into step together, walking nervously towards the conference room.

"I don't know, but he sure sounded pissed."

They entered the conference room to see a stone-faced Gibbs standing there, arms crossed. Tim gulped and caught Ziva's eye when they saw the black leather belt doubled over in Gibbs' fist. Tim shut the door behind them.

"Gibbs." Ziva's tone was somewhere between a question and a greeting.

McGee's eyes darted from the belt to Gibbs' face and back. "What'd we do?" He asked.

"Tony." Gibbs said.

"What about Tony?" Ziva said.

"Earlier today, when you were questioning the residents—or I should say, when _he _was questioning the residents….where were you two?" Gibbs asked.

"Um, the car, boss." McGee said.

"Both of you?" Gibbs said.

"Um, yeah…"

Gibbs adjusted his stance and uncrossed his arms. He didn't miss the way Tim and Ziva's eyes watched the belt as he moved his arm down to rest at his side. "I'm going to ask you a question." Gibbs said slowly. "A yes or no question. Did you turn off the feed of DiNozzo talking to the residents when you were both sitting on your asses in the car?"

"We listened to most of it—" Ziva started.

"Yes or no, David!" Gibbs roared.

Ziva blinked, taken aback at his tone. She caught McGee's eyes briefly and looked at her feet. "Yes, Gibbs."

"Why?" Gibbs aimed the question at Tim.

Tim licked his lips. "We…uh, we got tired of hearing him, boss." Beside him, Ziva winced. Tim hung his head. It sounded so bad now that he thought about it.

Gibbs took a breath and walked towards them, making a slow circle around his agents. "What if someone had suspected and shot at Tony? What if he needed to contact either of you for any reason? What if he needed back up?" Gibbs was unable to keep the rage out of his voice. The thought of his senior field agent getting shot and killed because of his partner's stupidity was almost too much to handle.

"Do you realize how stupid what you did was?" Gibbs growled. "How would you like it if _your _partner abandoned you when you needed back up?"

He completed the circle and stood in front of them, waiting for an answer.

"I would not like it." Ziva said.

"Neither would I." Tim said quietly.

"I need to know that you guys have each other's six." Gibbs said. "What happened today out there is unacceptable." He took a breath. "If you guys can't work together, you can both transfer to another team."

Both their heads snapped up. Ziva actually had tears in her eyes. He knew that that would cut deep. He knew Ziva thought of him as a father.

"You want us off the team?" Ziva said.

"No." Gibbs said. "The last thing I want is to disband my team. But like I said, if you guys can't work together and watch each other's six, that's what's going to have to happen."

"No, boss." McGee said in a strangled tone. "We won't do something like this again. _Ever_." He assured Gibbs. McGee gulped, realizing now the gravity of what he and Ziva had done. This was such a mess.

"I'm sorry." McGee said. "I know how you feel about those, but I—" he looked at Ziva, "—we, never thought that Tony's life would be endangered. We have his six. Always."

There was a beat of silence and Ziva spoke. "We are sorry, Gibbs."

"It's not me you need to apologize to." Gibbs growled. He glanced down at the belt he held. "You will both apologize to Tony. If he accepts, you're still on the team, if he doesn't accept, your asses are getting transferred."

There was a beat of absolute, shocked silence before Tim and Ziva both nodded vigorously.

"Where do you want us?" ZIva asked.

Gibbs dropped his free hand on Ziva's shoulder and steered her to the far corner of the room.

"Stay here." He whispered. "Don't turn around. Don't move."

"Yes, Gibbs." She breathed, nodding once.

Gibbs turned back around. McGee was fiddling with his fingers, watching Gibbs nervously.

"Over the table, McGee." Gibbs said in a quiet, commanding voice.

Tim nodded and turned around, bending over the cool surface.

"Pants and shorts down, Tim." Gibbs said.

Tim paused, then straightened and unfastened his grey pants. His face heated as he pushed them down over his ass. He stood there for a moment.

"McGee." Gibbs said, a warning in his voice. McGee turned and looked at his boss, mildly pained at the order to take down his boxer-briefs.

"It's no less than you deserve, Tim. You guys really messed this up."

Tim nodded, then tugged his shorts down to his knees. He glanced quickly behind him at Ziva. She was facing the corner, standing in parade rest, not moving a muscle. Tim bent over the table again and stared at the far side of the room. It felt weird to be half-naked in this room. He felt Gibbs' hand on his back, pressing him firmly down onto the table's surface before his jacket was tugged up, away from his ass.

"You know what this is for, Tim?" Gibbs asked. Tim heard the belt buckle jingle and he licked his lips.

"Turning off the feed." He said.

"Brace yourself."

There was silence, then a _whoosh_ and a loud, smacking _slap. _Tim winced as the sting diffused over his ass. He hadn't gotten a good look at the belt, but it sure felt heavy and wide. Another _thwap._ Tim stiffened as the belt continued heating his ass, making the skin sting and throb. He really hoped Gibbs wasn't going to lecture. He was wrong.

"Tony could have died because of you both." Gibbs growled. _Slap_. Tim let out a little yelp.

"And for what?" _Thwack_. "Because you were sick of hearing his voice?" _Thwap, thwack._

"Ow!" Tim squeaked.

"What do you have to say about that?" Gibbs prompted, throwing the belt down on his agent's rapidly reddening ass.

"It was stupid!" Tim yelped. His voice cracked a little, making this whole thing even more embarrassing.

"What was going through your head when you turned off the feed?" Gibbs asked. _Thwap!_

"I…ow—it's like I said boss! Ow! I was sick of hearing his voice and his lame jokes and pick-up lines!" He yelped again and wiped his eyes on his shoulder, sniffling.

"Those very same lame jokes and pick-up lines that were invaluable to cracking the case?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes! Ow—boss, seriously…" Tim grunted as Gibbs laid the fifteenth or so whack on his ass. "They may have been invaluable, but at the time they were just annoying!" Tim squeaked and dropped his head down as the belt kept connecting with his burning, throbbing ass. It felt like Gibbs was flaying the skin off now. He could barely tell where the fresh marks were landing. "I'm sorry I did it!" He cried. "Never again—I got it!"

McGee was suddenly aware of Gibbs leaning down beside him. The painful whacks had blessedly stopped. The warm coffee smell on Gibbs' breath tickled Tim's ear. "You'd better get it." Gibbs murmured. Tim saw the belt get tossed casually on the table in front of him and he sighed in relief, despite everything. "If anything like this happens again," Gibbs continued, "to anyone you're supposed to be backing up, there won't even be a choice, Tim. You'll be off this team faster than you can blink."

Tim nodded and took a shuddery breath. "Yes, Gibbs."

Gibbs straightened. "Stand and pull up, McGee."

McGee struggled off the table, his ab muscles stiff from where they had been pressed into the hard wood. He wiped a hand over both eyes and yanked his pants up, hissing as they rubbed against his ass. The skin still stung like hell and Tim had a feeling he'd be wincing a lot for the next day or two.

When Tim was covered up, Gibbs barked at Ziva. "Agent David, front and center."

Ziva turned out of the corner and came forward. Gibbs caught Tim's eye and jerked his head at the empty space. Tim nodded and took Ziva's place, glad his part of the punishment was over. He wiped the last of his tears from his face and rested a hand on his red hot ass, wincing and pulling away. He could feel the heat even through two layers of fabric. It had been a while since McGee was on the receiving end of a whipping, and he'd forgotten how painful Gibbs' discipline could be, though he had no doubt in his mind that he deserved every stroke.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The last chapter! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed :)**_

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><p>"I am sorry, Gibbs." Ziva said when she stopped in front of him. "I, we, made a mistake in turning off the feed."<p>

"Yeah, you did." Gibbs said.

Ziva nodded. "Over the table, then?" She said, looking up at him with wide, dark eyes. Despite how angry he was, Gibbs let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, Ziver. Everything down."

Ziva wasted no time in unfastening her pants and sliding them and her panties down her legs. She bent over the table, unashamed at being exposed in such a way.

As she was gathering her bearings, the belt _thwack_ed hard against the center of her butt. Ziva gasped and clenched her teeth, determined to ride this out as Gibbs slammed the belt against her backside again and again. In the Mossad, she had learned how to retreat into herself, to stave off the worst of the pain of any sort of torture her enemies may inflict.

She let out another gasp as the belt hit lower, warming the delicate skin on the lower part of her ass. She chose not to employ those techniques. This was a disciplinary measure, and she would accept it as such.

"Why, Ziva?" Gibbs began, aiming another _thwap_ at her backside.

"It was just—" _Thwack! _"Ah…more peaceful without his voice!" She yelped. "There _is_ no good reason, Gibbs."

_Thwap! Slap! _Tears dribbled down her face, but Ziva stayed quiet, enduring and absorbing the blows her father figure was inflicting on her. Her own father had punished her and her siblings many times as children, and at times, she had hated him for it. With Gibbs though, it was somehow different.

He smacked her thighs and she winced, closing her eyes as tears leaked down her face.

She never once hated Gibbs for the spankings he gave them. Eli's discipline was harsh and drove the family apart, but she always felt a deep sense of closeness to her team on the rare occasions when all three of them were squirming at their desks with sore backsides after enduring Gibbs' belt. Her and McGee would be squirming tomorrow for sure, but not Tony. She definitely owed him an apology for this. Something more than an "I'm sorry" in the men's room.

Ziva wiped her face, openly crying now. Her ass was blazing. Gibbs had never punished any of his team for this long and hard before. It felt like hours had passed before the red hot _whacks_ ended, leaving her ass feeling extremely raw and tender. She sobbed quietly, and after a moment, a warm hand rested on her shoulders. Gibbs rubbed at the tense muscles before guiding her to her feet.

"Pull up." He said in a soft tone. She did, closing her eyes as the fabric caressed the sore skin.

"Tim." Gibbs called.

McGee hurried over to them and Ziva wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.

"You know what comes next?" Gibbs said, his tone firm but not mean.

"Apologize to Tony." They both said.

"Damn right. Tomorrow you both tell him what you did and why. Remember, if he accepts, you stay on the team, if he doesn't, you're both getting transferred."

He saw the fear that that statement brought up on their tear-stained faces, and he couldn't deny he was glad it was there. They both knew how badly they'd messed up, now the ball was in Tony's court.

* * *

><p>Tony walked into the office the next bright, early morning, bag and coat in tow. His throat was a little scratchy, but an evening spent with Abby and her homemade tea had made all the pain go away. He grinned, pleasantly surprised, at the large coffee that was sitting on his desk.<p>

"Good morning, Tony." Ziva said. She was standing, leaning on the partition beside her desk, reading something in a file folder.

"Ziva." Tony nodded. "Gibbs."

Gibbs grunted a greeting and Tony dropped his bag on the floor and draped his coat over his desk chair. He picked up the coffee and inhaled the bittersweet scent of it. He brought the cup to his lips, but paused when he saw Ziva's eyes on him.

"What did you do to this?" He said suspiciously, pointing at the cup.

"Nothing." Ziva said. Tony glanced around. McGee's desk was dark and empty, and Gibbs was reading something on his computer screen, ignoring them both. "Can someone get coffee for their partner?" She asked innocently.

"Someone? Yes. You? No." Tony pulled the lid off the paper cup and looked at the liquid. It seemed okay. It wasn't purple or anything. He took a tentative sip, pleased to taste that it was sweetened just as he liked it.

The elevator dinged, and McGee appeared. He greeted everyone, then handed Tony a cup of coffee identical to the one he was holding.

"Uh, thanks." Tony said. He looked between the two coffees, then past his teammates to Gibbs. "What's going on?" He asked Gibbs, his voice tinged with worry. "I'm not getting fired, am I?"

"Nope." Gibbs said.

"Just thought I'd get you some coffee." McGee said defensively, pulling out his chair and glaring at it. "Can't someone buy their partner some coffee?"

Tony narrowed his eyes before slowly sitting down at his desk. "I guess they can." He conceded.

The morning rolled along at a dull pace. They didn't get a call out, so they finished up the paperwork from the last case and started sifting through cold cases. At about nine am, Ziva still hadn't sat down and she offered to get Tony something from the vending machine. He declined politely and wondered what was going on. At ten thirty, McGee leaned over gingerly and with a wince pulled a donut out of his bag, asking Tony if he wanted half. Tony's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. By noon, both his partners were practically arguing about who was going to pay for his lunch. Tony caught Gibbs' eye, helplessly lost. Gibbs simply smirked before turning his gaze on Tim and Ziva, bickering about Mexican or Italian.

"Hey!" He whistled sharply and they fell silent, staring at him. Gibbs pointed at the elevator. "The three of you, go. Bring me something back."

Tony, more confused than ever, made sure he had his wallet and phone before following his partners to the elevator. The three of them stood there awkwardly as the car descended before Tony flipped the switch.

"What's going on?" He said.

"I'm sorry, Tony." McGee blurted. Tony blinked a few times.

"For what?" He said, mystified.

"Yesterday…" Ziva began. She and McGee exchanged a look before she pressed on. "When you were talking to the residents…"

"The hot lonely housewives." Tony clarified with a grin.

"Yes…McGee and I, well…"

"We didn't have your six." McGee finished.

Tony frowned. "Go on."

"We turned off the feed of you talking to the residents." McGee said.

Ziva jumped in. "It was off for a couple of hours." She looked up at Tony, trying to gauge a reaction.

"We're sorry, Tony." Tim said, fidgeting. "If something had happened to you..."

"Yes." Ziva said. "We are very, very sorry. Such a breach in conduct will never happen again."

Tony didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Tony?" McGee said.

"Does Gibbs know?" Tony asked quietly.

"Yes." Ziva said.

"He belted us." Tim told him.

"Really?" Tony said, feeling a certain happy warmth knowing that Gibbs thought enough of him and his safety to actually punish Tim and Ziva. "Oh," he said, realization dawning on him. "That's why you two have had ants in your pants all morning." He couldn't help it, he grinned. Ziva rolled her eyes and Tony crossed his arms, thinking.

"Why did you guys turn the feed off?" He asked.

"There is no good reason." Ziva said.

"We just got sick of listening." Tim said bluntly. He watched the hurt pass over his friend's face and felt absolutely awful.

"Am I really that annoying to you guys?" Tony asked in a small voice.

"No—well, not always." Ziva said.

"I guess it was supposed to be a joke or something." McGee said. "When Gibbs told us that you coulda been shot or hurt or…seriously, neither of us thought anything like that would happen."

Ziva nodded. "In hindsight, it was very stupid and selfish."

"I'll say." Tony groused.

"Gibbs also said," Ziva continued, "that if you want…we will be transferred to another team."

"Wait, what?" Tony said.

Tim nodded. "He said that if you don't accept our apologies, we'll be off the team."

Tony stared at the nervous faces of his teammates, watching him the way starving dogs would stare at a steak.

"You guys are serious." He said.

They nodded.

"So Gibbs gave me permission to break up the team?" Tony clarified.

"I…suppose so." Ziva said.

Tony sighed, then flipped the elevator switch. The car shuddered and started moving again. There was silence for a moment.

"Tony?" Tim said.

"Yeah, yeah, you're forgiven." He could almost feel them exhale behind him. He flipped the switch again and swung around, stepping forward into their personal space and growling. "Though if either of you ever leave my six hanging in the breeze like that again, you're never gonna work on another MCRT at NCIS or any other agency." He looked them both in the eye. "I'll damn well make sure of it." He promised.

They both nodded vigorously.

"I'm not kidding." He said, glad he'd taken Abby up on her tea offer and that his voice didn't sound like Minnie Mouse anymore. "What you guys did was really shitty. C'mon, we're partners, right? Partners don't abandon each other."

"It won't happen again." Tim assured him.

"Never." Ziva said.

"Better not." Tony growled. He stepped back and flipped the switch once again. He smiled. "So Gibbs really spanked you both, huh?"

Tim pursed his lips. "Yeah."

"Last night?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Tony." Ziva said. "He brought us into the conference room and spanked us. Bare."

"Can we not talk about it anymore?" Tim mumbled.

"Fine." Tony said, still feeling perversely pleased that Gibbs had whipped them on his account. "What are we doing for lunch, Mexican or Italian?"

* * *

><p>"Night, guys." Tim gathered his things and headed for the elevator later that evening. Ziva had already gone for the night.<p>

"See ya, probie!" Tony called loudly. "Make sure to ice your cheeks."

Tim rolled his eyes at him but couldn't hide the smirk on his face. Tony gave him a wink. He watched as Tim entered the elevator and the doors slid closed behind him.

"What's on your mind, Tony?" Gibbs said, powering off his computer.

"Noth—what makes you think something's on my mind?" Tony asked, surprised but not surprised that Gibbs could tell.

"You're still here." Gibbs said.

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it again and got up, going over to his boss' desk.

"Tim and Ziva told me what happened." He said, resting a hip on the corner of Gibbs' desk.

"Uh-huh."

"I accepted their apology."

Gibbs nodded.

"Why, boss?" Tony said, picking up the bullet Gibbs used as a paper weight and squeezing it in his fist.

"Why what?"

"Why'd you leave it up to me? It's your team."

"They wronged you." Gibbs said simply.

"Yeah, but…it's your team." Tony repeated.

"Tony," Gibbs said, "I can replace my team, I can't replace you."

Tony frowned thoughtfully. "That's nice, boss."

Gibbs switched off his desk lamp and got up. Tony put the bullet back on the stack of pages.

"You coming?" Gibbs called from the edge of the bullpen. "Got a couple steaks at home if you're interested."

Tony leaped off the desk and grabbed his jacket and bag before trotting after his boss.

"Aw, you picked up an extra steak just for me?" Tony said, grinning cheekily as they got in the elevator.

"Nah, they were two for one on sale." Gibbs said.

Tony frowned and Gibbs grinned at him as the elevator doors slid shut.

The end.

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><p><strong><em>Thanks again, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this fic :)<em>**


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